Freddie Flintoff "doesn’t fully understand" how he has landed his TV shows.
The 39-year-old former England Cricket player is set to host the new programme ‘Cannonball’, but the sportsman is surprised with how his life has planned out as he never thought he would have to give up playing cricket and become a television presenter.
Speaking to The Sun’s TV magazine, he said: "I thought I’d still be playing cricket until about now. But instead I’m on ITV on Saturday nights presenting ‘Cannonball’, which is bonkers really.
"The way life’s turned out has been completely different to how I thought. I love playing cricket. I’d swap it all to play again, to be honest – it’s not an option, though.
"I don’t fully understand how I keep getting work, I’ll be really honest with you."
And Freddie only hopes his career in the entertainment business will have more longevity than his time on the cricket field.
He added: "But I’m pleased I do. If I’m into something, I’m in, I can’t do anything half-hearted. I’m hoping this part of my career’s going to be longer than my cricket career, so it will be interesting to see where it ends up."
Freddie – who has 13-year-old daughter Holly, as well as sons Corey, 11, and Rocky, nine, with his wife Rachael – has revealed his children find it "embarrassing" that he is on the small screen, although he has described his brood as his "worst critics".
Freddie explained: "My daughter thinks I’m embarrassing because I’ve been on TV [in Sky1’s ‘A League Of Their Own: Road Trip’] performing with the Chippendales, dressed up in drag and having mud baths with Jack Whitehall. The boys think it’s funny-ish.
"Most of the things I do the kids don’t watch – they can’t see ‘A League Of Their Own’ – but ‘Cannonball’ is a family show.
"My kids are my worst critics, though, they’ll tell me exactly what they think. They take the Mickey out of me because I don’t think they understand what I do as a job.
"It’s quite a tough sell. They see other parents dropping their kids off at school in suits and working 9-5, that’s not what I do."
Freddie Flintoff: ‘I don’t fully understand how I keep getting work’
